Aluminum Vs Glass Beer Bottles: The New Paper Vs Plastic?
Glass Beer Bottles photo uploaded by chris_carpenter
When I decided to become aware of the things I’m putting in my body and their effect on my world, I seriously underestimated how simple pleasures like enjoying a beer could dramatically change for me. Now, if I want to drink more consciously at home, I have to take into account not only where the beer was brewed and how, but, packaging is now a concern as well. Since I, like most average Americans, don’t want to say farewell to my annual backyard BBQ or my favorite brew, I decided to tackle this tough question myself and find a solution I can be comfortable with.
A few questions I asked:
- What environment footprint do the two materials leave?
- What are the health risks of Aluminum Vs Glass?
- What is the cost difference between the two?
Consumption of Energy and Resources
The problem finding a decent brew in a sea of swill grows even more complicated when you attempt to factor in the environmental impact of the beer we drink, specifically the packaging.
According to Slate’s recent St. Patrick’s Day drinking guide, that all depends on what beer your drinking, the brewery’s penchant for sustainability, and your location. Since I’m in Somerville, a city with a decent recycling program, and since regular brews I consume are usually local favorites like Harpoon’s Winter Warmer, my best bet is probably drinking beer out of a glass bottle since glass is made from silica (a more readily accessible mineral than the Jamaican and Austrialian bauxite most American aluminum is made from.) According to Slate, the mining of bauxite is what makes aluminum so flawed. It’s nearly twice as energy intensive as glass which only takes up 1.09 kilowatt hours for the bottle vs 2.07 kilowatt hours of electricity for a 12oz can. For me, the clear winner at first, obviously seemed to be glass.
Impact of Recycling
Of course, that’s before I took into account some data compiled by Planet Green about the value of recycling aluminum. Aluminum was the clear winner here, as that 40% of recycled aluminum goes into the average beer can while only 20% to 30% goes into a glass bottle. So, the trick here is to find out if the Aluminum that the brewery you patron uses a lot of recycled aluminum. Aluminum is much lighter to ship, too. Heavier items consume more fossil fuels, glass is heavier, therefore more greenhouse gases are produced when you ship a bottle vs a can, so if your favorite brewery is nearby and offers cans that contain 40%-50% recycled aluminum…aluminum might be your best bet, after all. That is, if your local community has a top of the line recycling program. The Portland Tribune claims that bottles trump aluminum in the recycling department solely because they’re considered more valuable and therefore, people recycle them more often.
The True Cost of New Aluminum Bottles
Two years ago in the beer world, new aluminum bottles appeared on the market that industry workers claim kept your beer colder longer. With a new, sleeker look, these bottles are quite appealing to sports fans and outdoor types who want to look cool while drinking their suds. Unfortunately for environmentalists who are trying to conserve precious kilowatts of energy and conserve greenhouse gases, these new aluminum bottles contain three times the aluminum of an average can. If you’re trying to keep your nose green, an aluminum bottle (not matter how slick) is probably not your best bet.
If the prospect of a beer that stays colder longer appeals to you, consider reading this study that disproves the marketing claims of aluminum bottle manufacturers that aluminum bottles stay colder than glassbottles over extended periods of time.
To fully understand the impact of aluminum vs. glass in the environment, here’s a great breakdown and a good spreadsheet to use to determine whether beer or aluminum might be right for you.
For me, the average American who just wants to enjoy a brew, the numbers can all be a bit overwhelming, and I haven’t even factored in health risks.
Alzheimers and Aluminum
For close to sixty years, Aluminum has been scrutinized as a possible risk factor to Alzheimer’s disease but after weighing evidence some experts describe as circumstantial, many believe that only certain people are at risk, particularly those who have trouble processing foods that contain metals like copper, iron, and aluminum. Since 1965, when the link between Aluminum and Alzheimer’s began to be explored, a menagerie of information has surfaces and most of it is so contradicting, it’s understandable to feel overwhelmed in the process.
The Alzheimer’s organizations in both Canada and the UK have issued statements about the possibility of a casual relationship between Aluminum and Alzheimer’s. Both of them seem to come to the conclusion that evidence in the matter is inconclusive.
However, a recent study claims that Spanish researchers have found that drinking moderate amounts of beer might help ward off Alzheimer’s disease. They’re claiming that the silicon content found in beer may help reduce the amount of aluminum absorbed in the blood stream. This helped put to bed some of my worries that drinking from aluminum cans (beer-wise) could be hazardous to my mental health.
Verdict
After some hard thought and weighing the evidence of there being an overwhelming amount of aluminum in landfills today, I decided that generally, most of my favorite locally brewed beers don’t come in cans, and anyway, there is a great deal more pleasure in drinking beer (guilt-free) from my local tap or splitting a keg between friends. Not only will I save money, but Kegs are reusable, too. When I choose to drink at home, I will drink out of glass bottles from local breweries who recycle more glass and of course, using the 100 mile diet like one nearby blogger suggests, could help reduct the environmental impact further.
My conscious is cleared further since I don’t own a car. Afterall, don’t ever forget, the best and only renewable energy source I could use to get to a frosty brew is biking or walking. Fortunately for me, I live in Boston which is just bursting with local beers for me to consume and unfortunately for my liver, they’re all a walk or short bike ride away.